Michi Photostory

Just this month, I went back to my eye doctor and now I know why, I need reading eyeglasses na pala. Waah! This is really a sign of aging, now I need to use two eyeglasses or progressive eyeglasses. I chose the progressive eyeglasses and hopefully, it would resolve my reading concerns. I’m still waiting for my new eyeglasses. 

If I finished 16 books in year 2021, I only finished three books for the year 2022. It was funny because I finished these books when I was in Norway for three months. I still read books pero hindi ko natatapos but I’m pushing myself to go back to reading, sayang kasi yung books na mga binili ko. Hehehe! 

My son finished two books, he read these books when we were in Norway too. 

Just like other kids, math is a challenging subject for my son but I always tell him that math is very important because we use it every day. We use it in school, work, at home, and even when we play so he should learn to love math. 

I would normally suggest a Tagaytay trip kaso nakailang punta na kami doon and our last trip with my grandmother-in-law was Balay Dako so I need a new destination. For the past few years, I’ve been seeing Old Grove Farmstead online, and my brother and sister-in-law also visited this farm during the pandemic; the review is “Okay lang” so when we booked this place, we have no expectations at all. 

Old Grove Farmstead offers day trips and overnight trips. For day trippers, it is by reservation only and there is a limit on the number of guests per time slot so you can choose whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Mga nakailang palit din kami ng schedule because fully booked na yung mga napili namin na time slot. Fortunately, my husband and my son were on vacation so we can change dates. 

My husband inquired and booked via Facebook messenger. A 50% downpayment (bank transfer) is needed to confirm the reservation and it is not refundable. They have different rates for weekdays, weekends, and holidays. We visited during weekdays and here are the rates. 

PHP750 - Adult 

PHP550 - Kid (3-7 yrs old) 

PHP950 - Adult 

PHP700 - Kid (3-7 yrs old) 

PHP1470 - Adult 

PHP900 - Kid (3-7 yrs old) 

PHP1,750 - Adult 

PHP1,000 - Kid (3-7 yrs old) 

Breakfast time slot: 6:30AM - 9:30AM 

Lunch time slot: 11AM - 3PM 

Dinner time slot: 5PM to 9PM 

*Bringing in food, or drink or having it delivered is strictly not allowed. Charges will apply accordingly. 

We chose the lunchtime slot which is 11AM to 3PM. We paid PHP950 per person and which includes a self-guided tour, entrance fee, and lunch set meal. 

Upon arrival, we received a parking coupon and we went to the front desk which is located at the windmill for check-in and signing of the waiver. After paying the remaining 50% balance, we got a coupon for our lunch set meal. While waiting for our time slot for food, we started exploring the farm.

We visited a few farms in the Philippines na rin like Fun Farm at Sta Elena and The Farm at San Benito. Old Grove Farmstead is known for its windmill and red barn and some people said, it is like a trip to the Netherlands. Well, I have never been to the Netherlands so I can’t compare. 

Old Grove Farmstead is not that big so even if you have a limited time slot, it is more than enough for you to explore and enjoy the place. If you like taking photos and posting on Instagram, then this place is for you. Have a photo of the windmill, red barn, mand-made lake, hanging bridge, and more. 

They have a mini zoo here and if you want to feed the ducks and sheep, you can buy food for PHP100. We bought sheep food but my son and I were scared to feed the sheep with our bare hands. Takot kami makagat o madilaan ang kamay. Hehehe! Buti na lang game sina grandmother-in-law and hubby. 

In less than an hour, we finished touring the place so we just stayed in the garden while waiting for lunchtime. There is a playground so if you have kids, may ibang pang activity. 

Meals are served at Harvest Cafe, the restaurant is not that big because it only has 4 tables but they have more tables outside. But we prefer indoors and I like the interiors of the cafe + Christmas decorations. 

For the set menu, they have a separate menu for adults and kids. The set menu includes appetizers, soup or salad, dessert, iced tea, and your choice of the main dish. The menu varies but during our visit, we had Crispy Kangkong, Egg Soup, and Graham Dessert. We are a group of 4 people and we ordered the following. 

Prawn Thermidor - served with mashed potato and buttered crudites vegetable 

Rib Eye Steak - served with mashed potato and buttered crudites vegetables with mushroom sauce. 

T-Bone Steak - served with mashed potato and buttered crudites vegetables with gravy 

Batangas Classic Bulalo - local beef shank soup in clear broth, vegetables, potato, and sweet corn served with steamed white rice. 

The appetizer and soup were served in a few minutes but for the main dishes, we waited for more or less 25 minutes so if you are hungry, it is better to be early. The presentation of the food looks good but the taste is just okay. I tried the three dishes except for the bulalo and according to my husband, yun pa naman daw ang may lasa. Waah! Overall, we still enjoyed our quick trip to the farm even though we immediately went home after eating lunch. 

Purok 5, U. Mojares Street Barangay Lodlod, 

Lipa City,4217 Batangas 

Call for Reservations: +639178952829 

E-mail: inquiries@theoldgrovefarmstead.ph

Anyway, I am browsing my previous posts and so far I have visited the following restaurants that serve ramen. 

Almost a month ago, we ate at Ramen Kuroda because it is the first restaurant that my husband saw when we went out from Uniqlo-Makati. At the entrance of the restaurant, the staff immediately informed us about the Holifeast promo for PHP780 + Service Charge so doon pa lang sa entrance, kinuha na niya order namin before she ushered us to our table. 

1. Choose any 2 Signature Ramen 

2. Pick 1 side dish of your choice. Limited only to Chicken Karaage, Spicy Chicken Karaage, Chicken Nanban, and Tonkatsu 

3. Holifeast is completed with 4 pieces of Gyoza and 2 glasses of Iced Tea. 

We chose Shiro Ramen PHP220, Kuro Ramen PHP220, and Tonkatsu PHP270. It was lunchtime so the restaurant was crowded, We were thankful that there was an available table for us because we were both h-angry. 

While waiting for our food, I was reading the trivia about this restaurant, nakasulat siya sa table. From what I’ve read, it is their mission to make real ramen, and hoping it will be part of Filipinos’ everyday lives. The ramen is cooked by their Japanese chef with more than 20 years of experience so we can be sure that it is authentic, homemade, and tasty. This restaurant has so many branches na pala, masyado ko nahuli sa pagtry. Hehehe! 

Gyoza PHP130 was served in less than 10 minutes and after that, one by one, they served the remaining orders. There is a small paper checklist on our table where they cross out the list once served. 

While waiting for our bill, I also checked their menu; they also offer set meals, rice dishes, and even kid’s meals. Looking at the price, it is budget-friendly compared sa ibang nakainan namin na ramen restaurants. I computed the food that we ate, sulit din yung promo na PHP780. Overall, we were satisfied with the taste of the food and the fast service.